Little Things
by Imaginationqueen87
Summary: The Cornicks have settled into their family unit quite well and SeoHyun bonded tightly with Charles. Their lives are never predictable but always full of love. What can happen to make setting up a birthday party so hard and what does the future hold? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

It had been a long week for the Cornick family; Charles was out on another assignment leaving Anna and SeoHyun at home. Charles never let SeoHyun go on these trips and since her adoption Anna rarely went with him so there would be a parent home to be with SeoHyun.

Anna looked in the living room to see SeoHyun sitting at the coffee table, pencil held loosely in her left hand as she read the instructions on her geometry homework. Anna had been slightly surprised when she realized her adopted daughter was left handed.

"Mom, is Da going to be home tonight?" SeoHyun asked looking up from her textbook. Anna could see the hope in SeoHyun's eyes as she asked the question.

"Yes, he should be home tonight." Anna assured her with a smile.

"Can I stay up and wait for him?" SeoHyun asked.

Anna thought about that request, SeoHyun had school the next day but the last time she spoke to Charles she could tell this assignment had been bad and she wondered if coming home to see SeoHyun in the living room waiting for him would help him settle down so after some internal debate she told SeoHyun she could wait for Charles to get home.

Anna went to bed later that evening marveling at the bond that had formed between Charles and SeoHyun. Everyone had been afraid that he would have done everything he could not to bond with her but early on it became apparent that the exact opposite was true. Charles let her cling to him and soothed her as best he could. Charles was never the best with words but it seemed that didn't matter to SeoHyun, his presence alone was comfort enough for her.

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It was nearly midnight when Charles got home from his trip. He started towards his own room when he caught SeoHyun's scent coming from the living room. He couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth when he realized she must have stayed up to wait for him and fell asleep before he arrived.

He looked into the room to see her curled up on the couch under the window. Her features looked peaceful in sleep and served to remind him how young she was and why he did what he did as his father's sword arm; he made sure that young wolves like her had a chance to live normal lives without the fear of crazy wolves bringing hate down on them. He loved her dearly and she looked up to him as no one had ever done before.

SeoHyun slowly woke and a smile formed on her features.

"Da, you're home!" She said happily as she got up and embraced him.

He returned the embrace.

"Yes I am." He said lifting her so she could put her arms around his neck.

She was tiny at nearly 2 feet shorter than him so it was easy for him to lift her and carry her around. She often didn't like this but if she felt he needed to focus on something other than the violence of the job his father gave him she would let him hold onto her and accept his instinctive desire to protect her if it helped him stay sane.

SeoHyun buried her face in the side of Charles' neck and took several deep breaths of his scent. She knew what people said about Charles and she knew they were wrong about her da. Her da loved her dearly and would do anything for her and she knew that.

Charles was glad he had managed to make it home when he did so he could be there for SeoHyun's sixteenth birthday. He put SeoHyun in her bed.

"Da, I missed you." she said.

"I missed you too" he replied placing a kiss on the top of her head "Good night, I love you."

"I love you too, da" she smiled as he tucked her in and left the room to let her sleep.

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Anna woke to Charles sitting on his side of the bed.

"Welcome home." she smiled "Did you see SeoHyun in the living room?" Anna asked "She tried so hard to stay up until you got home, but I don't think she made it."

"She was asleep when I got in." he replied "It felt good to get to hold her after this week, feels good to be home with you."

"It can't be easy to do that all the time." she admitted.

"I got her birthday gift." he said placing a box on the bed.

Anna opened it to show a white gold cross with oval turquoise inlays forming a smaller cross in the center. It was styled so it had a feeling of Native American art.

"She'll love it." Anna proclaimed with a smile.

Charles put the box in his bedside table, got ready for bed. It wasn't long before he was in bed holding Anna in his arms. He was home, he would have to report to his father later, but that was later, he would enjoy being home now.

He heard his father's voice filter through his sleep idled mind and tried to ignore it; after the third time he picked up his cell phone and called his father.

"What is it, da?" Charles asked.

"How did the trip go?" Bran asked.

"I'll be over there to fill you in later, once I've gotten a little sleep."

Bran had taken a moment to think about the time and relented that anything that needed to be said could wait until Charles got some sleep.

To be Continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Charles wasn't looking forward to explaining to his father how his mission went. He did his job but it had been difficult. He looked in on SeoHyun as she slept and felt better about himself. She kept him going when he felt he had nothing left to give. She believed in him and he wanted desperately to protect her from the killer he was forced to be.

He wasn't aware that she knew everything about what he had to do that she could possibly learn and didn't think ill of him, far from it, she did everything in her power to help him deal with the bad jobs like the one he just finished. Though it wasn't all fake, she loved him dearly and enjoyed spending time with him. She had never been particularly close to her biological father and this was like a second chance to have a good father-daughter bond. She often played it up for his benefit and he realized this but the fact that she needed him was enough for him to accept that.

Charles arrived at his father's house to see him sitting on the porch.

"Da, is everything okay?" Charles asked.

"It's fine, I was just wondering what you had planned for SeoHyun's sixteenth birthday." He asked.

"I was thinking we would have a small party with family and friends around to celebrate." Charles replied.

Charles showed his father the cross he bought her to replace the plain one she had gotten from a pack mate. This one was more ornate and would be more significant since it came from him and would actually be hers.

"That's beautiful, she'll love it, but then again coming from you I'm sure she'll love it no matter what it is." Bran commented. "She looks up to you, and values anything you give her."

The next day Asil was tending to his roses when the door to the hothouse slammed open filling the room with the scent of pain and fear. When the door initially opened Asil had been ready to yell at the intruder, but yelling at SeoHyun, especially when she was in this condition was as rewarding as kicking a wounded puppy. The little submissive was so damaged already and Asil knew it was far too easy to do more damage to her.

Asil looked the girl he couldn't determine how she got her injuries so he called Bran.

Bran and Charles arrived within minutes.

"What happened, SeoHyun?" Charles asked as he held SeoHyun in his lap "Why didn't you come home or go to Da's house?" he asked.

"She... she told me not to"

"Who?" Bran asked

"I can't say, she said... she ordered me to stay away from your house, grandda." Her voice slightly unsteady

Bran sighed "I am the alpha, you can tell me" Bran said gently.

"No... it'll ruin everything." She cried out surprising the elder wolves.

"Who was it."

"I think I know" Charles said in Welsh pulling his father's attention to himself "the only one that could ruin so much is your mate, she ordered my daughter not to say anything and me not be able to override it."

Bran squeezed SeoHyun's hand and she looked in his eyes and she felt that the next words were an order that would override an order from anyone else in the country. "Tell me who gave you that order."

"Leah..." she said hiding her face in Charles' neck in fear.

SeoHyun didn't call Leah 'Grandma" she had never referred to Leah by anything other than her name.

"Why, what happened to you?" Charles asked.

"He... he didn't mean it... he lost control, but Leah... she told me not to tell you." SeoHyun told them.

There was a knock at the door and Bran stepped outside to see Leah at the porch just as he had requested via his mental tie to her as one of his pack.

SeoHyun flinched as she heard her Grandda yelling at his mate. This was her fault if she had just obeyed Leah's order things would be fine, but then it was Bran, her alpha and no matter what Leah said he outranked her.

Charles could smell the shame, guilt and renewed fear coming off of SeoHyun and began to speak to her softly, reminding her that nothing Leah did was her fault and the bad ties in Bran's relationship with Leah was not her fault either.

Bran returned to the house and informed them that Leah was no longer his mate or part of the pack, she would be leaving for Manhattan first thing in the morning to join that pack.

"I'm sorry, grandda, had I not said anything you would still have a mate." SeoHyun said meekly hiding her face in the side of Charles' neck. Her voice shaking as if she would cry at any moment.

"That wasn't your fault, little wolf, don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise, I want you to always feel like you can tell me anything, I am your grandda now and forever no matter what pack you join or what you decide to do. What happened to Leah was no one's fault but her own." Bran said kneeling down so he could look at her face.

"You... You mean it, grandda?" She asked.

"Yes, SeoHyun, I mean it." Bran replied with a warm smile

Asil kept quiet through this conversation between SeoHyun, her father, and grandfather. He knew why Bran was the one who spoke, his clever tongue made short work of pulling the information from SeoHyun while Charles kept her feeling calm and safe.

The smell of fear at Leah's arrival wasn't surprising, what did surprise him was the smell of her guilt as Bran announced that he and Leah were split up and due to get a divorce. She blamed herself for that when it was Leah's fault, she had brought it upon herself by letting SeoHyun get hurt then ordering her not to tell that she had watched. It only made things worse that she ordered SeoHyun to stay away from her own grandfather's home.

Asil handed SeoHyun a glass of water to sip on as she calmed down. She could feel the love through the pack bonds from her father and grandfather and Asil watched as she cuddled with Charles. This was something he never thought he would see.

Asil knew that sooner or later SeoHyun would leave Aspen Creek, it was just a fact of life that if she ever wanted to go to college she would have to leave home. He knew the banishment ceremony would be extremely hard on SeoHyun, it was always hard on submissive wolves, but that wouldn't be for a minimum of two years yet, but the fact was he couldn't help worry about it.

Bran had a good idea what Asil was thinking when he looked at the old wolf's expression. He knew that SeoHyun was talking about going to pastry school, which would require leaving Aspen Creek and his pack. He was trying to figure out how to direct her into a safe pack with a good pastry school within its territory. He knew that a lot of the good schools for that subject were in California but he wasn't sure if any of those Alphas would take care of her. Then he remembered that he had two years to figure out how to handle this so he pushed the thought aside to focus on this moment with his son and granddaughter.

"Just think, SeoHyun, with Leah gone you can spend weekends at my house like you've always wanted to." Bran pointed out as Samuel entered the house.

"Where is Leah going, Da?" He asked.

"To pack and mentally prepare for the banishment ceremony she will endure in the morning." Bran replied

"I'm sorry, grandda." SeoHyun whimpered.

"Why is she apologizing to you, da?" Samuel asked in confusion.

Bran explained to his son the events of the past half hour and Samuel gasped in shock. He couldn't believe that Leah was leaving.

"SeoHyun don't worry, nothing Leah does is, was or ever will be your fault, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Samuel said to SeoHyun.

Bran started to ask SeoHyun to stay with him that weekend then he remembered that Charles had planned a weekend hike/camping trip for him and her for her birthday, apparently not even Anna was going on that trip, it was just going to be SeoHyun and Charles. It was looking like it was becoming a tradition for them to camp the weekend of her birthday as it was in the early summer and perfect Camping weather.

"Are we still going on the hike this weekend?" she asked weakly.

"Of course we are, I wouldn't miss it." Charles replied.

They left Asil's house and started home so she could do her homework and eat supper.

To be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Samuel sighed and leaned on the door frame.

"Da I hate to say it, really I do, but we're all better off without Leah around and you know it. You know that you can control your wolf, if there is a problem just think of your little granddaughter and let her be the your help to stay in control."

Bran listened to what his son had to say and had to admit he was right, SeoHyun was as good a reason as any to keep control of the beast he could become. He didn't want her to ever see the berserker, she would likely never trust him again after that and that would kill Bran to lose her trust. Bran then left to deal with the old, age crazy werewolf.

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Anna noticed the faint injuries healing away as SeoHyun and Charles entered the house. She ran up and hugged SeoHyun tightly.

Charles went to plan the route they would take for their hike, he wanted to show her every inch of the land that he grew up exploring so that meant they would take a different route than they had the year before.

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Bran sighed as he left the house of the old wolf that had attacked SeoHyun. He had been very upset about what he had done but there was more to the story that SeoHyun hadn't known. Leah had been involved in the attack more than SeoHyun had known. Leah had been the reason for the attack because of her hatred of Anna and Charles. Bran hadn't been looking forward to banishing his former mate but now he was wondering if she should even be allowed to remain alive after using an old wolf to attack SeoHyun.

"Tell that poor little wolf I'm sorry for attacking her, if I could have stopped myself I would have." He said.

"I'll let her know." Bran told him as he left the house

Bran arrived at his son's home just as SeoHyun and Charles sat down to plan their hike which had been expanded to be a 5 day trip ending on the day before her birthday so they could have a party with the pack on her actual birthday.

"Looks like you two have everything planned out." Bran said with a proud smile as he noticed that they had already begun to packs their to leave on the trip. Their sleeping bags were already rolled up and ready to go along with their backpacks that we're read to be filled with clothing and freeze-dried meals for the trip. They had some plans to hunt during the trip the freeze-dried meals were plan B if the hunts weren't as fruitful as Charles expected them to be or they needed a snack in between hunts as they planned to hunt at night and eat their kills as their evening meals.

"I've been planning this trip for several weeks." Charles said to his father.

"Then I'm sure SeoHyun will enjoy the gift I brought," Bran said placing a neatly wrapped gift on the table. She opened it to fi d a brand new pair of hiking boots.

"Thank you, grandda." SeoHyun said hugging her grandfather around the neck.

"Your welcome, little wolf." Bran replied hugging SeoHyun close.

Charles was looking the boots over as he tried to figure out how his da knew SeoHyun needed new boots as she had outgrown hers. He also wondered how he knew what size SeoHyun needed. Sure he and Anna knew but he had yet to tell his da. The plan was for him and SeoHyun to go to Missoula the next day to get her some boots and other supplies before the trip the day after that. They would still need to go to Missoula for supplies but that took one thing off the list of necessities for the trip.

The next day was spent picking up supplies that they were running short of for the trip.

They were in the middle of the store when they felt the tie to Leah break. SeoHyun had to grab Charles' arm to keep from falling to her knees from the pain of the tie breaking.

He took her to a spot to sit down and regain her composure the severed tie always hit submissive wolves the hardest and even his father didn't completely understand why it did they just knew it did.

"Just think with Leah gone you can spend next weekend with Da like you wanted."

"Yeah, but I wish it didn't have to be like this." She replied.

"I know, but this is best for everyone, just ask my brother if you don't believe me." Charles replied hugging her close.

"I know, Da, but that doesn't make it any easier." SeoHyun sighed.

"Just focus on our trip tomorrow." Charles instructed her as they continued their shopping.

SeoHyun was excited about the trip with Charles to camp. She loved getting to spend time with him away from the distractions of his job with the pack. He enjoyed hearing about her life out in the woods where she wasn't afraid to speak freely and getting to see the things that were so familiar to him through her eyes where it was all brand new and wonderful.

They returned home and began to pack up the last of their supplies so they would be ready to go in the morning when they start on the trip.

"Da, what do you think we'll see out there this week?" She asked.

"A lot... We'll have to wait until we're out there to know for sure." Charles replied as he helped her distribute things in her pack to make it easier to carry.

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That night SeoHyun found sleep to be very illusive, she was far too excited about the trip . The last time she looked at the clock before sleep overtook her it read 12:30am and the plan was for them to wake at 5 in the morning.

Charles figured when he had to go wake SeoHyun because she slept through her alarm she had not slept well. He wasn't sure if it was due to the recent events or the excitement of spending almost an entire week in the wilderness with him.

He still didn't understand why, but she always looked forward to spending even the smallest of moments with him and he had a bad feeling she would have a had time leaving Aspen Creek for college due to that fact. Even though she would be welcomed back for every holiday and breaks she got, he would even fly her home himself if he had to and she knew that. He still feared that she would have difficulty leaving and he didn't want to think about how hard the banishment ceremony would be on her and his da.

She got up and was showered and ready within an hour. They ate a hearty breakfast and were on their way by 7:30 am.

Anna watched happily as her husband and daughter drove away. She loved that they had such a close bond. She knew it had hurt SeoHyun to lose her parents and she was glad SeoHyun was able to open herself up for that bond and Charles was willing to let her past his iron clad defenses, but then she figured he couldn't keep the little submissive out when he saw her as so needy, his dominant instincts wouldn't allow it.

Charles looked over his shoulder at SeoHyun as she dozed in the passenger seat as he drove to their starting point of their trek into the Montana wilderness. He marveled at the level of trust she gave him. So many feared him but from the first moment she trusted him with her life. She had trusted him to keep her safe from her former pack and perceived threats from the Marrok's pack, he had planned their trip and she was willing to go along with little question to his judgement. He had found she wasn't big on technical climbing but she enjoyed their hikes together. He figured because these hikes were more relaxed and allowed her the opportunity to just be free of her problems and enjoy time with him.

They started into the woods and SeoHyun couldn't help think that it was going to be a fun week.

They had walked several miles in when Charles notice SeoHyun take a few sips of water without so much as a single break in her stride. This wasn't her first trip into the wilderness and it showed.

She stopped beside him "This is beautiful, da, why would anyone want to destroy it?" She wondered.

"I wish I could understand it, but I don't, little wolf." Charles replied.

"It's a shame more people don't get to see this the way we do, maybe if they did, more people would want to protect all of this for the future." She sighed a sad edge to her voice.

"I don't know, some people just don't understand how important places like this are and... They don't want to either." He sighed.

A sudden snap pulled Charles from his thoughts to a mindset of a dominate wolf with a submissive to protect. Brother wolf had been quiet up to that point became alert

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Charles relaxed when Heather Morrell came into view.

"So this is your little girl." Heather said with a smile "She's lovely, I'm Heather, what's your name?"

"My name is SeoHyun."

"It's good to meet you, SeoHyun." Heather turned her attention back to Charles "So what is the occasion that brings you out this way?"

"We're going camping for the next few days." Charles replied.

"Sounds like fun, I assume you're more than well equipped for this outing, I know you well enough to know you know how to prep for a trip into this countryside." Heather smiled to Charles, she knew him well enough to know he wouldn't risk taking his daughter out into such remote country unprepared for whatever could come their way.

She was shocked at how SeoHyun clung to Charles when she was afraid. She trusted the old wolf with her life and he was willing to protect her with his life.

He explained the plan for their trip and the reason they were there.

Heather was shocked by their reason though considering this was Charles' daughter she felt she ought to not be so surprised by what she chose to do for her birthday.

Heather left and Charles turned to SeoHyun and embraced her gently to reassure het before they continued on their way deeper into the wilderness.

"Da, look, strawberries." She said with a smile on her face.

"Good find, get some... They're better than any strawberries you'll find in a grocery store." Charles told her.

SeoHyun knelt down down to pick some berries.

"Do you want some, da?" SeoHyun asked.

"I'll take a few." Charles sat against an old growth tree that he was sure predated him by anywhere between a few decades and a century or more to enjoy the wild strawberries his daughter had found.

"Your right, da these are wonderful and so sweet." She commented with a smile. "These could make me never want to eat grocery store strawberries again."

"Now you know why I don't eat them." Charles shrugged.

SeoHyun sat beside Charles as they enjoyed their berries. There was no hurry to get anywhere so they could just sit and enjoy the find. SeoHyun was completely at ease with the world around her in that moment. She knew no one would lay a hand on her while her da sat beside her so her wolf relaxed and she could rest and enjoy her berries.

"Here, taste this." Charles handed SeoHyun a berry she hadn't seen before.

"What is this, da?" She asked as she popped the round Golden berry in her mouth trusting her da not to steer her wrong.

"That is a golden currant." Charles replied.

"Yum, that's good." SeoHyun said with a smile.

"I thought you would like those." Charles replied.

After a few more minutes they started back in the trail with some berries stored away for snacking on as they walked the trail. SeoHyun had lots of questions to ask him and he did his best to answer them. Then he started an impromptu Welsh lesson. He, Samuel and their da all decided together that they would teach her Welsh if she wanted to learn it. She then decided she did want to learn that language.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and she felt as much as heard Charles' brother wolf as he told her not to worry about anything that they would take care of her.

Charles was as stunned by what his brother in flesh did, he knew that his brother wolf cared deeply for SeoHyun but he didn't realize how much so until that moment.

He listened to her Welsh and noticed she was sounding better at it, like it was taking less deliberate thought to keep the conversation going and answer his questions about her school, friends and music lessons. He noticed her slow down and stopped as he figured there was a good reason for her actions.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I need to..." She hesitated and Charles got the idea.

"Go ahead." He told her.

He stayed in place as SeoHyun ducked out of sight in the thicker underbrush to relieve herself. This had been one of her biggest stumbling blocks during their hikes was taking care of these particular needs but she adapted rather quickly and now it wasn't a problem as long as they avoided going out during a certain time of the month which usually wasn't too difficult to do.

As he waited be tried to decide if he wanted to push to the lake before nightfall, it would be a push to get there so he was considering stopping sooner, SeoHyun was showing her exhaustion and the change for the hunt would take a lot out of her. He wondered if she would be able to change back or if he should suggest sleeping in wolf form. They did that from time to time but give her the option to sleep in wolf form, attempt changing back or not even risk the change at all and just prepare freeze-dried meals and call it a night.

She came back around a few minutes later and he posed the question to her.

"I really don't know, da, I am tired, if we do change I may not be able to change back even after we eat. So if we do change and hunt I think I'm going to be locked into sleeping that way." She replied.

"That's what I thought." Charles sighed. "When did you finally get to sleep?"

"The last time I looked at the clock before I finally fell asleep it was a little after midnight."

"Why so late?" He asked in concern.

"I was really excited about this trip and trying to imagine what we will see out here."

A small smile formed on Charles' face as he listened to what she said. He wasn't surprised that she was excited about their trip, she enjoyed every second she could get with him. That thought also made him worry that she would have trouble leaving Aspen Creek to go to college. She knew she would be welcomed back but he feared that leaving would crush her.

Bran had told him that he had found a pastry school in a territory with an alpha who would take good care of SeoHyun and when Charles learned Tommy was the alpha his father wanted to hand SeoHyun over to he believed his father. He knew Tommy was a kind wolf and he felt that trusting SeoHyun to Tommy would be almost as good as trusting her to Samuel something he would do any day.

"Da are we going to hunt tonight?" She asked.

"No, you didn't sleep well last night so I assumed that you would just want to eat and the rest." He said.

"That sounds good to me." Charles could see the excitement wearing off and the exhaustion taking root.

It didn't take long to get to the camp site and Charles began to prepare the freeze-dried meals for them. He passed one foil envelope to her then took his own and they began to eat.

Once they finished the tarp was set out and they got ready for sleep.

Charles watched as SeoHyun's breathing took on the slow steady rhythm of sleep and she unconsciously shifted closer to him. He couldn't believe how much she was able to make him feel without so much as trying. She needed him and he felt he had no option but to answer the call of her need as he did Anna.

He wrapped a protective arm around her and succumb to sleep himself.

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

SeoHyun could feel her father's power wash over her as she cuddled close to him. His wolf reminded her that they were her protectors and that she was safe in submitting control to them. That safe feeling and several deep breaths of his scent lulled her to sleep. He would stay awake a bit longer to just watch her as she slept so peacefully.

Charles was still shocked by how his brother in flesh reacted to SeoHyun. He treated her as if she were their child by birth and he found he finally understood how his father felt about him, and Samuel and most of all how he felt about Mercy. The desire to protect SeoHyun was so strong he wasn't sure how to deal with it. He knew a lot of it was because she was submissive and his wolf demanded she be cared for and kept safe and happy and that wasn't hard with SeoHyun who was easy to please and so willingly obedient that it was shocking that the alpha that first got her could possibly abuse her. He could also feel the love his human half felt for her, the admiration that she earned for surviving what so many others like her didn't, be that defecting from North Korea or being turned into a werewolf against her will at fourteen she was a born survivor and he loved her so much for it.

Charles let the sound of his daughter's steady breathing and rhythm of her heartbeat lull him to sleep.

He woke early the next morning to realize SeoHyun was now using his upper arm in place of a pillow.

He ran the fingers of his free hand through her raven hair and she moved but didn't wake up and he wouldn't wake her for a little longer, she hadn't slept well the day before and needed the rest.

Charles had never dreamed he would let anyone in as close as he had let Anna and SeoHyun get to him. He never felt he could afford to with his job being what it was. He couldn't afford to care about people because there was always the chance he would have to kill them, but he couldn't keep Anna and SeoHyun away when they needed him so much and he loved them so dearly from the moment he met them.

He looked at the relaxed expression on SeoHyun's face and found that he didn't mind that her using his arm for a pillow . The only problem was that the weight of her head on his arm was restricting circulation to that hand, but this was his child and if she rested better like that he could deal with the tingle in that hand for a while so she could catch up on the sleep she missed out on.

A few moments later she changed position and her head fell from his arm back to her sleeping bag which left him free to get up, relieve himself and fix their breakfast.

Sometime during these activities SeoHyun woke up but made no move to get up yet. She knew that they had to get moving again but in that place surrounded by the scents of the old growth trees and Charles made her want to stay put and bask in that protected feeling those scents filled her with. A displeased groan that bordered on a growl marked the moment she resigned herself to the thought that she had to get up and start her day.

A smile tugged at the corners of Charles' mouth as he handed her a freeze-dried breakfast then turned to make one for himself.

"Good morning, da." She said taking the pouch from him and starting to eat.

Charles returned the greeting before preparing his own food and starting to eat. He was happy that SeoHyun wanted to spend this time outdoors and with him. He had been unsure about bringing her into his life, into his world with what he did for his father but now he couldn't see his life without her in it.

They made it to the river around noon and Charles realized SeoHyun had been unusually quiet on this leg of their journey. If he were honest with himself the silence had him concerned about her.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her as they sat on the edge of the river.

"I've just been thinking, Da, it won't be too long until I go away to college, and while I know I'll always be welcomed back I'm afraid it wont ever be the same... I won't get to come out here with you anymore and... And enjoy these woods this time..."

The tears that welled in her dark eyes broke Charles' heart.

"We will come back here every summer, just the two of us, I promise." He told her as he hugged her tightly.

"I love you, da." She said as she returned the embrace.

"I love you, too." He replied placing a gentle kiss on her head.

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Bran sighed as he thought about all that SeoHyun had gone through in her young life. It had been a tragic to learn of the loss of her parents to the change and he was happy his son and daughter in law could step in and give her a family; he was even more so that she accepted all of them into her heart as family and could refer to them as such. He loved to hear her call him 'grandda' more than she could possibly realize. He knew Charles had been overwhelmed the first time she called him 'Da' and it was still something that filled him with pride even 2 years later.

* * *

Charles sighed and as he let SeoHyun bathe in peace. He had slipped just into the woods to give her some privacy. Sure neither of them were body conscious or modest in any way, being werewolves stripped one of modesty rather quickly, but he did want to give her privacy anyway out of just the idea that they weren't blood related even though she called him 'da' and he introduced her as his daughter.

After a few minutes SeoHyun found him to let him know she was finished and dressed. Her hair was still quite wet but he figured it would be dry before nightfall, it always was and it wasn't any cooler than it normally was that time of year, if anything it was on the warm side for that time of the year. It wasn't so different from normal that it made Charles concerned it was just a warm day and he was enjoying it as much as she was. He noticed something strange in her expression, not really sorrow but he knew she wasn't happy.

"Da… why won't the boys date me?" she asked hesitantly.

Charles was speechless for a moment.

"I don't know…" was his honest reply.

"I figured you'd say that… there is this boy in my class, he's my best friend but… he's dating this other girl and… I just wish he'd look at me for once… they fight so much and… I get him so much better than he does… but…" SeoHyun let out a long breath. "I probably should be talking to mom about this…"

"Does he know you're interested?"

"No… I've never said anything because he's always with her…"

"Maybe you should try to get a private moment with him to tell him how you feel." Charles suggested "Or maybe use your musical talent to say something."

"You're suggesting I write a song…"

"Yes… you seem to express yourself better in song than in just words." he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. She had wrote several songs since the she was in the talent show her ninth grade year and was getting very good at writing songs and expressing herself with those songs.

"I'll try that" SeoHyun smiled happy that she was able to bring this to her father's attention and he was able to come to some form of a solution to the problem.

Charles hugged SeoHyun near glad that he could help her find some kind of resolution to her problem. She returned the embrace.

This trip, like others before was free from electronic distractions. Cell phones or anything on a cellular network didn't work that far into the wilderness and everyone knew that they would be unreachable from the moment they left to the moment they returned, thus why they left a plan of what they were doing with Bran and with Anna in case an emergency arose. That plan included a map with the route they were planning on taking marked so that anyone who could read a map could find them. Even if they didn't, Asil could find them with his unique ability to find any member of his pack.

The rest of the day was relaxing and wonderful for SeoHyun who found herself wishing that the trip would never end.

"Da, even after I go to college, can we come back here… hike like this, just you and me… no matter what happens?" she asked, she was aware of the fact that she had asked her father this question before, but she had to know for sure that she would be able to continue these trips, having these moments with her father as long as it was possible.

"I see no reason why we couldn't make this a yearly tradition… come out here and hike, explore these woods together… talk about things that we don't get to talk about with the distractions of the modern world around us." Charles replied. He enjoyed the insights into his daughter's life he got while they walked the wilderness together, with no cell phones or other things to distract them from what really mattered.

"Da… I love you."

Those words caught Charles off guard. It wasn't that SeoHyun never told him that she loved him, far from it she said it often, but the randomness of her saying it in that moment shocked him. He stopped to look at her and reached an arm out to embrace her.

"I love you, too." Charles replied and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Don't forget that and don't ever let anyone convince you that there is anything you could do or anything anyone could do to you to make me not love you. I am your father now and forever and my love is unconditional." he vowed to her. The do to her part was in an indirect reference to something that had happened to Mercedes Thompson, his surrogate younger sister, before SeoHyun had joined the pack. SeoHyun wasn't aware of this event as they talked about it as little as possible, but it was something that Charles felt needed to be said for SeoHyun's sake should the worst happen and she fall victim to the same horror Mercy did. SeoHyun sometimes slipped up and referred to Mercy as 'Aunt Mercy' and no one, including Mercy herself, bothered to try and remind her that Mercy wasn't related to the family in any way, she was close enough to family for the title to still fit. Charles had asked Mercy in private if it bothered her that SeoHyun referred to her as her aunt and Mercy had told him that it was okay, she would take the title as long as SeoHyun was willing to give it, she felt as if she were a Cornick as did every other Cornick she knew so why shouldn't she be 'Aunt Mercy' to SeoHyun.

SeoHyun felt the tears well in her eyes, she couldn't help it, those words hit a wound she had worked so hard to hide, a part of her that believed when her alpha told her she was unlovable because she was a werewolf, particularly because of how she became one.

Charles smelled the tears and became confused and concerned.

"SeoHyun, what is wrong?" he asked her.

"Nothing, Da… just… to hear that from you after… after what the San Diego alpha told me…"

"Forget anything he ever told you, he was a horrible man who would say anything to hold you down when you are a talented young woman who deserves to shine." He told her as he held her slightly tighter.

"Da… I'm glad… proud… to be a part of your family… I feel like for the first time since my parents died I have someplace to belong and it's because of you, mom, grandda, Uncle Samuel and Aunt Nicolette that I feel that way." She started to sob quietly.

"Don't cry, we're your family, that's what family does, they take care of each other and love each other no matter what." Charles explained.

"I… I kind of want to go visit my parents' graves… Nathan actually paid to get them a proper burial in a cemetery but it's in San Diego pack territory and… and I'm not sure I'd ever be welcomed back there." She sighed. "I don't know if I'd ever be able to face San Diego again."

"You wouldn't face it alone, I won't allow that… we will go together so you can visit those graves" Charles assured her "And if you desire to do so I would have them moved to the small cemetery we have in Aspen Creek so it would be easier for you to visit them should you wish to do so again. It isn't fair to you to have them interred so far away in a place I would not blame you if you never wanted to set eyes on again."

"Da… that… that would make things so much better, I know they aren't here anymore they went into the light that day but… it would be better if I could visit the graves."

"I will have it done when we get back to Aspen Creek."

SeoHyun knew her father was good for his word, if he said it would be done it would be done, it didn't matter that moving them would cost quite a bit, Charles could easily afford it and would for her sake. He would move Heaven and Earth for the wellbeing of his daughter.

Charles hugged her again.

"It's okay to miss them, SeoHyun, don't forget that" he reminded her.

"I know Da," she replied leaning into him as she had before. She committed this to memory as she knew it wouldn't be long until she left Aspen Creek for school to parts unknown.

She didn't know it at the time but Kara was pushing hard so she could graduate with SeoHyun who was a grade ahead of her in the hopes that she could travel to college with SeoHyun to maybe make the transition for her submissive friend a bit easier.

 **To Be Continued…**


	7. Chapter 7

Kara remembered when Sage taught her about dominants and submissives and for the first time she understood why she felt the way she did about SeoHyun, she was submissive and her wolf realized that even though her human half didn't and longed to make sure SeoHyun was happy and safe. She had gone to Sage after she nearly attacked a classmate who she thought was bullying SeoHyun and had her cowering against her locker. It had taken a lot to keep her wolf under control until she learned she had been mistaken. That was when she learned that it was in her nature to want to protect SeoHyun because SeoHyun was so submissive. She later went to Bran to learn more about Submissives and learned that no matter if they were male or female they were the bottom of the pack, females could move up by mating a wolf more dominant than themselves but male submissives would always be at the bottom. He also assured her that while this would bother a dominant wolf a submissive like SeoHyun wouldn't have the drive to want to move up the rankings, they would be content with that as long as the pack took care of them, which a healthy pack would do.

"Kara you need to rest, I thought you were on vacation." Her mother had said.

"I decided I want to graduate early." Kara replied.

"Why did you think of this?" her mother asked. "It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with you friendship with SeoHyun would it?"

Kara's mother had thought that maybe Kara was romantically attracted to SeoHyun until she spoke with Anna about the whole thing and Anna explained that it more like siblings than romantic. She had explained that as a dominant wolf Kara would unconsciously want to protect SeoHyun who was submissive. It had taken more effort to explain what the difference was, which boiled down to who was obeyed and did the protecting and who was protected and obedient. She did explain that SeoHyun still had free will enough to say no if it wasn't a direct order from a more dominant wolf than herself. The protective aspect of a dominant werewolf's nature kept submissives like SeoHyun from being taken advantage of most of the time as long as the dominant in question wasn't in the thralls of insanity.

* * *

Charles watched as SeoHyun climbed up onto a rock to look out over the land around her. They knew their trip would come to an end soon but at the same time they agreed that this was far from the last time that they would come out here to hike and spend time together. They had decided that they would get together every year around her birthday and go out into the wilderness together.

Anna wasn't sure what to make of the little bursts of emotions she got through the mate bond, the calm contentment she understood, being in the woods did that to him, the happiness, confusion and sadness among other emotions that flared up seemed to confuse her. She wasn't used to the mate bond being this open to her. She figured that the emotions had something to do with SeoHyun and she would learn their origins when they returned from their trip. She was pretty sure the happiness was his enjoying spending time with SeoHyun, they were very close and she knew he often wished he didn't have to leave on trips to other parts of the country to deal with bad packs or rogues.

Charles watched as SeoHyun basked in the sunlight that fell into the clearing where they had decided to set up camp for the next three nights. He liked seeing her so relaxed, he had hated seeing her the way she was when they rescued her from Sebastian and his followers, most of whom he had illegally turned. Charles had chosen not to point out he was being less than honest when he said that he'd only turned about four people he figured that was more than enough to warrant the death of that wolf. That experience had set SeoHyun back months and it took him, Anna, Bran, Samuel and Kara weeks to get her back to where she was when she left for the trip. They had worried for a while that they had somehow scared her for life, but she came around and now seemed no worse for the ordeal.

"Da... I'm worried about what the San Diego pack will think of me now." she confessed.

"Don't worry about it, most of them will be glad to see the improvements you've made over the past years, a lot of them hated to see you the way you were. The only reason they didn't interfere is that they couldn't the alpha forbade it... forbade calling my da for any reason. The only reason he was called was because their then third's human mate made the call" Charles explained.

"I didn't know that... I didn't know any of that." she replied while walking across a recently fallen log like a balance beam.

"The alpha back then wouldn't want you to know that, he would want you to think that the pack didn't care about you, not that they couldn't do anything because of him." Charles replied "I want you to do your best to put all of that out of your mind."

"I'll try, but... there is one person I want to visit while we are there, her name is Marilyn Forsythe, I haven't seen her since before I was attacked, she was our neighbor and used to watch me while my parents were at work." SeoHyun sighed looking hopefully at Charles.

"I don't see any reason we can't visit Marilyn while we're there." Charles replied not telling SeoHyun that, if they were thinking of the same Marilyn Forsythe, she was a werewolf in the San Diego pack. He figured there was a reason she didn't come to meet up with SeoHyun while she was in the pack, he figured that she was either under strict orders to stay away from SeoHyun because they feared she would revolt to protect he 'niece', or she might not have realized it was the same child she used to care for. He decided that it wasn't his place to tell SeoHyun that Marilyn was a werewolf; she would learn that when they returned to San Diego and it would be for Marilyn to explain to SeoHyun why she didn't come forward and let the teenager know that she was a werewolf

"Thank you, da, I've missed her a lot... I... I used to call her Imo Marilyn _,_ it means 'Aunt Marilyn' in Korean." she explained "But I wasn't allowed to contact her after the attack because the alpha said it was forbidden and I lost her contact information after that so..."

"Don't worry I will find her and you will get to see her again." Charles promised

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

It was late in the evening when Charles and SeoHyun pulled into the driveway of their home. They noticed that Anna's car was there along with Nicolette's truck. This development confused them as they had not expected to see Anna with company this late in the evening, but they weren't too upset or concerned. Anna and Nicolette were getting rather close since the latter moved to Aspen Creek. They went inside, taking their boots off as soon as they entered so as not to track mud and other debris into the house.

"Welcome home." Anna said warmly.

"Well looks like you're going to be busy for a while; I guess I should head home." Nicolette said.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Anna asked.

"It is getting rather late, Samuel will be home soon." Nicolette replied. "I'll come back by tomorrow after my shift."

"Okay, I'll see you then." Anna smiled

Nicolette left and Charles notice that Anna seemed concerned about something.

"Anna, what's wrong?" Charles asked.

"Nicolette is talking about trying to adopt children and she isn't sure Samuel will want to do that." Anna replied.

"I'm sure he'd go for it, he's always wanted to be a father I don't see why he wouldn't go for adopting a child." Charles replied.

SeoHyun had excused herself so she could go take a hot shower, Charles walked into the kitchen with Anna so they could continue talking.

"SeoHyun brought up some things that got me thinking... her parents' graves are thousands of miles away, it isn't fair to her that they are not where she could visit them whenever she desires. I'm considering exhuming them and having them moved to the local cemetery." Charles explained.

"So are you planning a trip back to San Diego?" Anna asked.

"Yes, and she's coming as well." He said "this way she can visit the graves and an old friend she hasn't seen since she underwent the Change."

"Do you think I should come as well?" Anna asked.

"If you want to," Charles conceded figuring that SeoHyun might need both of them around her as she looks at her parents' graves for the first time since they were buried.

"Let me know when you want to leave and we'll go." Anna said as she finished up dinner.

"I will." Charles replied as SeoHyun came into the kitchen wearing comfortable flannel pajama pants in mint green and pink plaid along with a pink shirt that matched the pink in the pants. She had blown her hair dry and it hung loose down her back. She had decided at the beginning of the past school year she wanted to grow it out and by the summer it was to the middle of her shoulder blades. Anna fixed her a plate and she went to sit at the table to eat. She was nervous about going to San Diego, she wasn't sure how things and people had changed since she left.

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Bran smiled as he, Samuel and Nicolette decorated for SeoHyun's sixteenth birthday party along with several other members of the pack. They had planned this party for weeks ordered the cake from a bakery in Missoula. It was big but with the guest list consisting of werewolves it needed to be big. Mercy and Adam had sent her a birthday present even though they couldn't be there in person.

Bran knew SeoHyun would love her party and he knew the old wolves in the pack loved having a young submissive to take care of, or spoil as the case may be. The more stable the wolf the more likely they were to enjoy SeoHyun's presence in their lives but they all loved her.

Charles and Anna brought SeoHyun over about two in the afternoon and were stunned by the decorations.

The party went well and SeoHyun got more presents than she expected which included clothing and books among other things that she had either wanted or needed. She had said she wanted to look into the Divergent series of books and, much to her surprise, someone was listening and bought her the entire Divergent series in hardcover. She looked at the tag to see that the book had been from Bran. She had gotten a new dress from Sage, and copy of the Catching Fire dvd from Tag. She got to the gift from Mercy and Adam and wasn't sure exactly what to expect from them. She might refer to Mercy as her aunt on occasion but she really didn't know Mercy that well and vice versa. This made her wonder what Mercy could have gotten her.

She opened the gift and gasped in shock as she saw a collection of Hunger Games memorabilia, including a replica of the arena jacket from book one, which was surprisingly warm, a Mockingjay pen, which she had always wanted and a bunch of stationary supplies (notebooks, folders, pens, pencils, etc…) with the Mockingjay on them. She gasped, she would have to remember to send her "Aunt Mercy" and "Uncle Adam" a thank you card for this because she knew the jacket alone was expensive.

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Bran hid his smile, his suggestions for gifts for her had went off like a charm and SeoHyun's sixteenth birthday was a rousing success. He knew that they had a plan to leave for San Diego the next day to take care of some things they should have done months ago and he hoped that everything would go well for them. He knew Nathan had the pack in good shape but he wondered if San Diego would hold healing for SeoHyun or just more pain.

To Be Continued…


	9. Chapter 9

Nathan Murray met up with Marilyn at the airport. He had no idea how she would react to seeing SeoHyun after all this time. Their old alpha had forbidden her going near the child at the time and now she longed to hold SeoHyun in her arms again.

"I can't believe I'm seeing that baby after all this time." Marilyn commented softly. Marilyn was old; she had been a slave in a Georgia plantation when she was turned and had used the time since to educate herself and now had a good paying job in the city. She had been talking about wanting to move to Aspen Creek for years but at the time she didn't want to leave SeoHyun behind. Now that SeoHyun was in Aspen Creek there was nothing to stop her from joining SeoHyun there. She knew that SeoHyun had been adopted by the Marrok's youngest son and, while she wanted to spend time with her, she had no intentions of disputing custody of SeoHyun with arguably the third most dominant wolf in all of North America. She figured that was a fight she would lose before it even began. Not to mention she had heard that SeoHyun and Charles were extremely close and she figured trying to take SeoHyun from Charles now would be the best way possible to destroy any hopes of rekindling her relationship with SeoHyun.

They watched as Charles and Anna exited the plane, and Nathan could feel Marilyn hold her breath as SeoHyun stepped out wearing a mint green sun dress with a light brown belt, and matching sandals. She looked healthier than either of them ever remembered her looking but they could smell her anxiety.

She saw Marilyn and bolted past Charles and Anna to hug her only to jerk back as if she had been burned when the smell of werewolf hit her nose. She couldn't believe her beloved Marilyn had lied to her all that time by not telling her she was a werewolf, didn't want to believe she stood idly by while she was abused and starving, but the evidence was too obvious to be ignored.

"Baby before you get angry with me let me explain. I couldn't tell you what I was before you were turned and after... After I was forbidden to go near you and I couldn't defy the alpha, none of us could and you above all should know that. I don't know that you could ever forgive me for deceiving you but I hope that you would give an old werewolf another chance."

SeoHyun listened and instead of a verbal answer she threw herself into Marilyn's arms and began to cry.

"It's okay, baby, I'm right here…"

Charles watched as SeoHyun cried on Marilyn's shoulder. He had known it would be an emotional moment for her but he had no idea how emotional until he saw it with his own eyes. Marilyn was a tie to everything SeoHyun had lost and it didn't surprise him she clung to the old wolf, clung to what was essentially her only lifeline to the parents that were ripped away from her.

They were escorted to Nathan's home.

"She doesn't even look like the same girl that left here that day; she filled out to a beautiful young woman." Nathan smiled wistfully. "So what brings you here?"

"She wanted to visit her parents' graves and I've decided that they should be moved to Aspen Creek." Charles said.

Nathan listened to what Charles had to say and realized that SeoHyun had been deprived of so much in the past few years including a tie to her own culture and heritage. Sure none of them wanted to recall the struggle her family must have endured to get out of North Korea but she was still Korean, and had not had a taste of the foods her homeland in over two years.

"I know I can't give you orders, far from it, as a possible representative of the Marrok I'm the one who would take orders, but can I recommend you take her to the local Koreatown while you're here? She deserves to have some taste of her own culture." Nathan handed him a slip of paper with the name of a restaurant and the address on it.

"This is the most authentic Korean restaurant I know of in San Diego, it's owned by a couple that immigrated here from Korea about a decade ago and their food would be the closest to what her parents would have made her when they were alive."

Charles nodded in agreement, he too wanted SeoHyun to have some tie to her own culture and language, and thus why he had her enrolled in a program where she spoke over the phone to people who were learning Korean to keep her proficiency as a Korean speaker up as high as possible. He didn't want her to forget where she came from and a lot of remembering that would be remembering the tastes of the foods from her childhood.

"Thank you, I'll make sure we make a stop there before we go back to Montana." He replied taking the slip of paper and looking it over. Sure he didn't know San Diego nearly as well as he did say Chicago or Seattle but he was sure he would be able to find a way to get to this restaurant for SeoHyun.

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Marilyn had been shocked at the smell of fresh pine and other wilderness scents that clung to SeoHyun, she had known Aspen Creek was a rural community but she hadn't anticipated SeoHyun taking to the outdoors the way it seemed she had.

Marilyn was surprised to learn that Aspen Creek had another teenage werewolf, a girl named Kara, who it seemed had become SeoHyun's best friend. She was happy that SeoHyun wasn't going through her teenage years without anyone who understood what she struggled with. Sure Kara was dominant while SeoHyun was submissive, but that only meant there was an extra pair of eyes keeping SeoHyun safe from harm as she explored this new world. Little did she know Kara had a hand in almost getting SeoHyun into more trouble than she ever helped get her out of.

Everyone had been shocked to learn that Charles Cornick had adopted SeoHyun to raise himself. Most didn't know Charles very well as they only saw the Marrok's enforcer, a lone, silent killer. Not the caring side that he had to lock away for the sake of his own sanity; the side of Charles that only a select few ever got to see.

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The drive to the cemetery was quiet, interrupted by a stop to pick up flowers to put on the graves at SeoHyun's request.

Charles and Anna kept their distance at first to allow SeoHyun a moment to reflect on everything she had went through since her parents' deaths, but it was extremely hard for them no to step in and scoop her up in their arms as she broke down into a fit of sobs. She was theirs as much as she was the child of the two people buried in the graves in front of her, and they wanted nothing more than to take away her pain even though they knew it was impossible.

She stood and returned to Charles and Anna, leaving the flowers propped against the headstones. She didn't protest when Charles decided to carry her, she was emotionally shattered and just wanted to cling to him and Charles was more than willing to accommodate this. He knew that this visit to the graves would be hard, painful in a way SeoHyun never anticipated, but it was something she had felt she needed to do thus he was willing to stand by and let her have the moment to visit their burial site and express some of the pain she tried to hide away.

Anna spent a moment at the graves to promise SeoHyun's biological parents that she would always be well taken care of and well-loved before she followed Charles and SeoHyun back to their rental car.

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Kara had been worried about SeoHyun when she learned that SeoHyun was returning to San Diego. She knew that town held so many heartaches for her friend and she wished she could be there to help comfort SeoHyun in her time of need. She also realized that this was likely going to be a journey that SeoHyun needed to take without her. These were SeoHyun's demons to fight and as much as Kara wanted to help SeoHyun face all of her fears, she couldn't do much more than cheer her on and that revelation was what had Kara at the Marrok's house seeking reassurance that she had done the right thing by not going with SeoHyun when her every instinct screamed that she should have.

To Be Continued…


	10. Chapter 10

Marilyn had silently followed Charles, Anna and SeoHyun to the cemetery to see how they handled caring for SeoHyun at the gravesite. She had been unsurprised when SeoHyun dissolved into sobs there and had to control her wolf to keep from blowing her cover when they didn't immediately go to her as she cried. Then she got another shock when Charles picked SeoHyun up and carried her to the car which allowed the teenager to cling to him in a way she was sure she was never meant to witness. This wasn't the actions of a coldblooded assassin; that was the reaction of a father who knew his daughter's heart was shattered in a billion pieces; the actions of a man whose child needed his comfort and was all too willing to provide it for her. Who, she could only imagine, would move heaven and Earth to see that pain go away.

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Anna drove silently to the restaurant where they planned on having dinner that evening. It was the place Nathan had suggested, sure neither she nor Charles were that familiar with the tastes of Korean food but they were curious what it was SeoHyun grew up eating.

They ordered their food, SeoHyun picking a stew made with soft tofu that she said would likely be quite spicy and they picked things she had said were least likely to be extremely spicy. The main dishes were individual and given with communal side dishes that she explained were traditional and as per tradition were free. This included several vegetable dishes including the expected kimchi.

They had been surprised by the flavors and portions. Anna would have to let werewolves who traveled to San Diego with a more adventurous palette to check the place out as the portions were large and the food was good.

She had managed to slip the waitress the knowledge that SeoHyun was belatedly celebrating her sixteenth birthday and after the meal she brought them a dish of what she called _Chapssaltteok._ SeoHyun explained that it was a Korean rice cake filled with sweet bean paste equivalent to Japanese mochi which Charles had heard of but never tasted. She also explain that this was likely given as what the Korean people referred to as 'Service' which are free gifts to keep customers returning to one shop over another.

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The meal was good and they went to their hotel with full stomachs and a new liking for Korean food.

SeoHyun seemed to have closed off quite a bit since they left the cemetery and this fact had Charles extremely concerned. This wasn't like her, she would usually tell them what was bothering her, the fact that she was bottling up her emotions meant that she was hurting a lot more than she likely could find the words to express.

Anna was also extremely concerned about SeoHyun. She had worked to strengthen the pack bonds between herself and SeoHyun; Charles had been doing the same. With Bran's help they now could usually tell what SeoHyun was feeling and why, but today SeoHyun had done her best to choke off that bond, which only served to worry Anna more.

"Charles, I know we said we were going to stay for a few days but… I think we need to get her home." Anna said after SeoHyun went to sleep "This place is toxic for her; she's shutting down more and more even as we speak."

Charles gave a soft sigh, she was right.

"I'll let Nathan know we'll be leaving tomorrow." He replied "She can't do this; I'm not going to subject her to this anymore than I must. I know she wanted to spend time here, but… she needs to go back to Aspen Creek where she feels safe. This place is haunted with too many bad memories."

"What about her parents, you said they would be exhumed and reburied in Aspen Creek…"

"They will be, Nathan said if it came down to it he would handle the arrangements on this end if I handled the arrangements in Aspen Creek," Charles sighed "looks like it's come to that. I can't risk setting SeoHyun back any further than she's already gone."

Anna nodded silently.

"Okay, she's not going to like this, but… it's what's best for her." Anna agreed as they settled in for what they feared would be a bad night for SeoHyun.

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About two that morning Charles woke to the smell of fear perfuming the room and immediately went to check on SeoHyun. It was as he had feared, her nightmares were returning full force, she needed to go back to Aspen Creek as soon as possible.

"It's okay, SeoHyun, I'm right here," he whispered as he held her in his arms, rocking her gently.

SeoHyun clung to Charles as she took deep breaths of his scent to remind her that she was safe, that all of what she had seen was nothing but a dream. Charles was still alive and well as was Anna who had come to sit with them.

"What did you see?" Anna asked referring to the contents of her dream.

"He… he came back… and you fought to protect me… but he" SeoHyun started sobbing again and it didn't take much effort to put two and two together and figure out that she spoke of the late San Diego alpha and that he either ripped her from them or killed them.

"You… you were both dead." She managed between sobs.

"SeoHyun that would never happen… even if he was still alive…" Charles assured her.

"I know, Da, but… for that moment I… I couldn't remember that he was dead… couldn't remember that you were too dominant for him to kill." SeoHyun replied before hiding her face in Charles' shoulder so that all she could smell was his scent. This lulled her back to sleep and Charles tucked her in before returning to bed with Anna. This was worse than he feared; she didn't need to be in San Diego any longer than necessary.

After a few moments she woke alone after another nightmare and Charles made an executive decision he never thought he would make.

SeoHyun was stunned when Charles proposed she joined them in their bed. She had thought she was too old to be offered that privilege but they felt otherwise.

"Just for tonight, we will go back to Aspen Creek tomorrow." Charles said and she happily snuggled in between him and Anna. They both embraced her as she went back to sleep to sleep through the rest of the night.

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The next morning Charles called Nathan to let him know what was going on.

"I had a bad feeling something like this would happen." Nathan admitted "This town was bad to SeoHyun. I will handle the exhumation and transport of SeoHyun's parents on this end then send all the information to you."

"Thank you." Charles replied.

"Don't worry about it, just worry about getting that girl home." Nathan said casually. He then became more serious as he told them about Marilyn wanting to move to Aspen Creek. The thought made Charles a bit concerned but he wasn't going to say that Marilyn couldn't move to Aspen Creek because of his discomfort and worry that she would try to take SeoHyun away from them.

"Let her know that if she wants to fly with us she needs to pack up and be ready by no later than three this afternoon." Charles said "that's as late as I'm willing to delay. If she can't make that I will make sure her transport to Aspen Creek is taken care of."

"I'll let her know, she wants you to know she isn't interested in taking SeoHyun from you, she just asks the privilege of being a part of her life"

Charles looked at SeoHyun as she slept and sighed.

"That is fine, she and SeoHyun were close before, I won't deprive her of that now. Just let her know SeoHyun comes first for me and if she ever poses a danger to SeoHyun I won't hesitate to revoke that privilege." Charles warned

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you Charles." Nathan assured Charles. Echoing Marilyn words Charles heard in the background as she said that was what she would hope he would do in that situation as she would never be able to live with herself if she hurt SeoHyun.

After the conversation Charles started to pack for them to return to Aspen Creek and by noon Marilyn had joined them at the hotel and they had checked out several days before they had intended to depart.

The hotel workers were sad to see them leave but understood that if something had come up then leaving was the best option for them.

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The flight back to Aspen Creek was uneventful and Bran welcomed Marilyn as easily as he did anyone else that decided his pack was the best place for them. He didn't express it out loud while Marilyn was there but he was concerned about SeoHyun, she had been unusually withdrawn from him and even hid from Tag when he said hi to her which was a red flag as to exactly how bad she had handled the situation in San Diego.

He could see Kara's worry as soon as she swooped in to take care of SeoHyun, Kara had only seen SeoHyun like this once and on some level was afraid they would never get her back to her old self.

It took several weeks to get SeoHyun to open back up and tell them exactly why she had shut down to begin with.

The bad memories had been overwhelming to her and she didn't know how to deal with them or express them to anyone else. She had felt like she needed to deal with them in her own mind before she could express everything she felt.

The weight of the painful memories that were dredged free by seeing people and places she hadn't seen in years and never had positive associations with to begin with had been overwhelming and not in a good way. No one in Aspen Creek could deny that their little submissive had been through hell but she was be just that their submissive and they would do everything they could to help her recover from the trauma. Wolves she had been close to prior to the ill fated San Diego trip worked tirelessly to find the relationship with her they had once had or even closer ones than they had enjoyed before due to the fact that they we're patient with her though things they didn't understand.

 **The End**


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